


Talking Back

by Eissel



Series: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020 [3]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: (uh kinda anyways), Berthold Hawkeye's A+ Parenting, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Friendships, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Heavy Angst, Inspired by Poetry, Kielo is a Little Shit, Let Elizabeth Rest 2k20, Minor Canonical Character(s), Moms Made Fullmetal 2020, My talent lies in writing amazingly snarky moms, Nina’s Mom deserves some insight, POV Minor Character, Philosophy, Prompt Fill, Shou Tucker's A+ Parenting, Spiritual, Threats of Violence, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eissel/pseuds/Eissel
Summary: Elizabeth Hawkeye talks with one Miss Tucker about the phenomenon of history repeating itself.Miss Tucker has a different take on the subject.
Series: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758514
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16
Collections: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020





	Talking Back

**Author's Note:**

> Uh, my excuse for this is that I was supposed to write a fic between Young!Riza and her mom, but then that fell through once I hit an iron wall named writer’s block. So, yeah. Nina’s mom and Riza’s mom, my designated angst targets for today.
> 
> (Also, I’ve always been of the mind that Nina’s mom either dabbled a bit in alchemy, or was really interested in science)
> 
> Day 3: _**Disappointment**_ or _**Apologies**_ or Grounded
> 
> Poem(s): _Poor Women in a City Church_ \+ _Mother Talks Back to the Monster_

Kielo Tucker knew she was dead when she opened her eyes. Or maybe it was a sort of  _ un _ -death, caused by her husband’s meddling in Bio-Alchemy. 

Either way, she wouldn’t be interacting with the world for quite sometime. She tested her legs first, finding that they were moving around just fine, and that they didn’t seem misshaped (nor that she had gained a pair) she stood up. She had all her clothes on, that was a mercy at least. But… She was wearing heels, which was much  _ less  _ of a mercy. Reaching down to undo the strap, she easily stepped out of them and tossed them to the side.

Stretching, Kielo looked around the blank expanse trying to figure out where she was. It was white all around her, no objects to be observed or acted upon, no people in sight. Just blank, ever-present white. 

Wait, no, she was wrong. There seemed to be a single other person in this space, someone with- she squinted, all the  _ white  _ bleaching out the landscape and making it hard to tell- long blonde hair standing up against what  _ could  _ be a wall, but was likely just a big solid pool of  _ nothing  _ that only looked like a wall because everything in here was  _ white.  _

(No, seriously, who the hell designed this place, because Kielo was going to have  _ words  _ with them.)

Abandoning the desire to run up to the unknown person like a hyperactive puppy, Kielo decided to play it safe and yell at them from a distance. Cupping her hands around her mouth, Kielo started shouting.

“Hello! Hi! My name is Kielo Tucker, you wouldn’t know anything about why we’re here… or even where  _ here  _ is for that matter?”

The blonde… looked up? Kielo wasn’t sure. They raised a pale hand, and exaggeratedly started waving. She wasn’t sure why they didn’t shout back, but they seemed friendly enough. Shrugging to herself, she set out to talk to the Mysterious Only Other Person™. 

At least the area was entirely flat.

When she finally reached the other person, Kielo barely felt winded, even though it felt like she’d be walking for an eternity, which just made her wonder how time worked in this place. Was it relative, like the papers she had read a few months back described the passage of time in space? Or was it more absolute? If she walked back to her starting position, would she arrive in the same amount of time? 

“My name is Elizabeth Hawkeye.” A musical (but slightly strained) voice interrupted her jumbled thoughts, which, under normal circumstances would have caused Kielo to jump. 

But this wasn’t anywhere  _ near  _ normal circumstances so Kielo simply turned and asked:

“So is this Heaven or Hell?” Elizabeth blinked dumbly at her, and for a second Kielo wondered if  _ maybe  _ she shouldn’t have asked a person if Kielo’s concepts of the afterlife applied to this… Interdimensional space. 

“Neither.” Elizabeth answered confidently. Well, that revelation was a  _ little  _ disappointing to be sure. “It just… Is. For the most part anyways. Sometimes people come through here.” But that one sure wasn’t!

“ _ Through _ ?” Kielo asked, intrigued. “As in-” She made a motion with her hands. “They can  _ leave? _ ” Elizabeth nodded. “Well, what are you doing here then?” Elizabeth’s warm brown eyes hardened some. 

“I don’t see the point in leaving. Besides, it’s not like we can leave.”

“By your own admission you ‘don’t see the point in leaving’, so how do you know we can’t?”

“Because whatever entity created this place told me that I couldn’t. I’m guessing because you appeared here the way you did, that you’re stuck here too.” Kielo stared blankly at Elizabeth. 

“What do you mean ‘appeared here the way you did’? Doesn’t everyone just… Wake up here?” Elizabeth shook her head.

“No. The people I’ve seen here appear through huge stone doors. They can’t see us, just so you know. They usually bring… Other things with their arrival, but those usually quickly fade away.”

“What happens to the people who come through here?”

“Some die, and that entity takes them to another place. Some get parts of themselves removed, and then they’re thrown back to the real world.” Her gaze softened, and her voice dropped a little. “I… There were two children here, the last time it opened. I saw one of them be taken in his entirety, the other lost an arm.” She closed her eyes. “...The world hasn’t changed any in the time I’ve died.”

“How do you even know that those kids are from the future?” Kielo asked, filing away the rest of the information for later. It sure sounded family though, maybe her husband had talked about it some? 

That thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. If she really was recognizing this from her husband’s research, then that meant there were and had been  _ others  _ like him, using other people for his own damn gain. 

“ _ I can use Nina-! _ ”  _ Kielo had slapped her husband then, putting all her strength into the strike. Anger had coursed through her veins. She knew her husband was… more than a little invested in producing results out of his alchemy, after all, he wasn’t a State Alchemist, he hadn’t been to Ishval.  _

_ He hadn’t  _ **_proven_ ** _ himself to the military. She had supported him in his journey, fetching the newest scientific journals, and talking with him about arrays. But now he wanted to sacrifice their  _ **_child_ ** _ for what amounted to a  _ **_paycheck?_ ** _ Did he even think of her as anymore than a means to an end? “K-Kielo-?” He held his injured cheek with a hand. _

_ “Shut up.” She growled, “You can’t be my husband. You’re not the man I married. What kind of father would think to sacrifice his child-” _

_ “She will be a sacrifice for a better life-!”  _

_ “Stay away from me. Stay away from Nina!” She backed away. “I’ll report you to the MPs. The military will never accept this. If they knew-” _

_ “ _ **_If_ ** _ they knew.” Shou advanced on her, and Kielo froze, hand on the dresser table. “No one knows about my advancements yet. And if you go running out of here, so what? I’ll be in jail, sure, but I’m sure I can get out. The higher ups always want, no,  _ **_need_ ** _ more alchemists. And I’m sure they’ll give me funding if they realize the potential of this array. Soldiers with the strength of lions, the ability to grant spines for defense, biological armor!” His eyes were manic, alit with a maddened glow. “And then there’s you and the child. On the run, on the streets? No money to your name? It’s quite unsafe on those steet-” Kielo made her decision. _

_ Her life, or her child’s life? Maybe this was just a stop-gap measure. Maybe this wouldn’t stop him. Maybe she was setting Nina up for hell. _

_ But this was the best card she had. _

_ “If… If you promise to leave Nina alone, if you promise to be a good father to her, I’ll let you use me.” His smile had sent shivers down her spine.  _

_ “I knew you’d see it my way.” _

“Kielo?” Elizabeth’s voice broke through her thoughts. 

“Sorry.” Kielo muttered. “Lost in thought.”

“You’ve been wronged too, haven’t you?” Kielo froze. Had Elizabeth been transformed into a chimera too? She didn’t  _ look  _ it, but neither had Kielo. 

“My husband.” Kielo said. “I sacrificed myself for Nina. My daughter.”

“So we have more in common than I thought.” Elizabeth smiled wryly. “History repeats. A husband, a mother, a daughter.” Her brown eyes went cold. “Damn him. Damn Berthold Hawkeye to his grave.” She hissed. 

“I… Was he a- Did he specialize in Bio-Alchemy too?” 

“No. Bio-Alchemy wasn’t even a real specialization when I was alive.” She said. “No, his sin was Flame Alchemy.” Her voice dripped with bitterness. “He didn’t care about Riza, barely mustered up the effort to care about me. All of his love went to his precious research.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “But… He had cared once. When Riza was born, his eyes were so bright. It was the first time in ages I had seen a glimpse of the man I once loved. But then Riza showed no aptitude for alchemy, and it was all lost.”

“That’s… That’s terrible.” Kielo said honestly, putting a hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder. “I… As I said, I sacrificed myself for Nina. He planned to make her into a chimera, a human-animal fusion.” She elaborated upon Elizabeth’s confused look. “If he took my life, then at least he wouldn’t take Nina’s.”

“Do you really believe that? Your husband seems cut from the same cloth as mine.” Her lips twisted into an ugly caricature of any human expression. Kielo was reminded of that damnable day, just as Shou started to advance on her. “Scum of the Earth.”

“... I don’t have faith in Shou, no.” Kielo admitted, disappointment weighing heavy in her heart. “But I believe that someone will come and help. I have to believe that.”

“You’re right to not have faith in him, but you’re naive if you believe anyone will help.” Her tone was filled with bitterness and loss. Kielo felt her heart go out to the young woman, because Elizabeth, despite being here longer than her, was  _ clearly  _ very young.  **_Maybe_ ** 35 years old tops.    


“I think there are more good-hearted people than you’d think.” Kielo said softly. 

“If that were true, then someone would have saved Riza before-” Elizabeth covered her mouth. “Damn him.” She whispered. She turned her blazing glare on Kielo. “You of all people should realize that if we keep waiting on people to be good, then history will just repeat itself. You’re the first to show up here, but you won’t be the last.”

“Maybe.” Kielo agreed. “Maybe that’s true. But I think I like my chances. I think that there’s people out there who will help. Good-hearted people who might have made mistakes, sure, but good-hearted all the same. Sometimes they’re late, and sometimes it feels like they’ll never come at all. But I believe that we’re not destined to repeat the same cycle, otherwise there’d be more pople here.”

“How can you say that with such confidence?” 

“Because, if there’s anything I’ve learned in my 40 years of life, is that destiny is a silly concept meant for children.” Elizabeth looked at her surprised. 

“Wha-”

“I don’t believe in destiny. I believe in human ingenuity. I’m an alchemist er- at least, I sort of was. I dabbled. Anyways, that’s what we all believe.” She tapped her head. “A bit of prerequisite. I mean, once you start morphing rocks into spears, a belief in destiny takes a backseat.” 

Kielo made herself comfortable beside Elizabeth, sitting on the ground, knees brought up to her chest. “Don’t get me wrong, monsters in human skin still exist, I’m not denying that. But I feel that the world is getting better, little bit by little bit.” She laughed. “Sorry if that upends your worldview.”

“Humans are selfish creatures.” Elizabeth muttered, hiding behind her tangle of long blonde hair. 

“Maybe so. We can be irredeemably selfish on some occasions. I know I was a bit of a brat before I mellowed out with time.”

“I ran away with my husband.” Elizabeth offered. 

“Shit, that outdoes anything I could’ve offered. You win by default. But yeah, we can be selfish. But we can also be very generous. I’m sure you didn’t only run away because of selfishness.”

“I loved him. He loved me… I loved Riza with all my heart.”

“See. More than just selfish.” Kielo patted the ground beside her. “Sit down, we have eternity together. Don’t spend it on your feet all the time.” Elizabeth nodded, and she sat. “So how did you say time worked in here again?”

“It’s strange. Sometimes it feels like time doesn’t move at all, but obviously it does. Only ever forwards though.”

“Shame. If it was going backwards, we might have been able to break out of here. Somehow.”

“Maybe.”

Kielo sighed. “Do you think anyone might come and save us?”

“I don’t think anyone knows we’re here. We’re both dead after all. I think.” Kielo sighed. 

“That’s a shame. But, at least we have each other?” She asked hopefully. 

“Yes. We have each other.” Elizabeth said after a short silence. “... And maybe,  _ only maybe  _ your belief will prove itself to be correct.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Do the stone doors pop up with any regularity?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Well, I guess we just have to wait.”

And wait they did. The doors popped up a few times, but they never moved close enough to hear what was being said. She recalled seeing the time when the doors yawned open, sending two boys and a giant monster hurtling through, another time when a boy seemingly halfway between the real world and the white space kept blinking in and out, a strange suit of armor accompanying him. 

She remembered seeing a man be pushed through, confusion littering his face. 

There was a boy, the one accompanied by the armor, who had… Well, he simply took the hand of the “person” and the armor crumpled. Kielo guessed he was waiting for someone, just like them.

She remembered a small ball of what might have been generously called dust stare up at the blank slates, and she watched as it was yanked through. 

“That was a new one. Do you think humanity went extinct out there?”

“Maybe?” Elizabeth asked. Just as Kielo was about to launch into a debate about the merits of that idea, another set of doors appeared, and Elizabeth gasped. 

“That boy-” She rushed forwards to hear him speak. Kielo scrambled to her feet to follow her companion. 

“Who is he?”

“One of the boys I saw back then, the one who lost his arm.”

“I’ve always been an ordinary human.” The boy said. “A little man who couldn’t even save one little girl turned into a chimera.” Kielo felt her world stop. 

A little girl. A chimera. 

Shou. Nina. 

Elizabeth put her hand on Kielo’s back. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. 

“Someone who caught a glimpse of the ‘Truth’, and started over-relying on its gift only to fail again and again. It’s been one long dance.” The boy’s words were murky, barely heard over her inner turmoil. 

“Are you sure you’re alright with losing this?”

“I don’t need alchemy as long as I’ve got my friends.” Elizabeth’s hand on her back went slack. 

“ _ Oh. _ ” She said. It sounded like she was about to cry. “So that was the answer. That was what Berthold was looking for.” Kielo wiped at her face, the reality of the situation crashing down on her. 

“Nina… My poor daughter.” She whispered. Her heart ached, it ached for Nina, for the boy in front of her whose guilt showed clearly on his face. The rest of the conversation passed her by, she watched as the boy broke down his own stone doors, as he and the other boy left, hand in hand. 

And then they were alone once again. 

“I’m sorry you had to-” Elizabeth started to say. “I’m sorry.” 

“Please just leave me alone.”

“No?”

“No.” Elizabeth’s tone was firm. “You didn’t leave me alone, even when you thought I was wrong. Even when I was being closed-minded and rude. I’m not leaving you alone. You helped me get back up, have a little bit of hope after… After  _ years  _ of believing that it was all for naught.”

“But- But I was  _ wrong!  _ I was  _ wrong. _ ” Elizabeth grabbed her hand, and forced her to stand up. 

“You weren’t wrong. You heard him. He  _ tried  _ to save her. He failed, but he tried. You were right Kielo. And I know that knowing that doesn’t make it better… But that’s all I can offer.” Kielo wiped at her face.

“... I guess you’re right. A-And… A-And if I-I was right be-before...” She sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “If I was right before, then maybe I;m right about there being a way out of here.”

“That’s the spirit.” 

“... Thank you, Elizabeth.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

**Author's Note:**

> It was not until I finished writing this that I realized that “grounded” could have referred to the mental state of being “grounded”, or the state of being “run aground” and that both of those would have been _infinitely_ better ideas to explore. 
> 
> Whoops.
> 
> (Also, Kielo means "lily of the valley" in Finnish)


End file.
